Car Shakes When Idle and Accelerating [Cause and Solution]
Car shakes when idle and accelerating
Several factors cause car shakes when idle and accelerating. The main causes may vary from minor problems to serious ones. Car shaking while accelerating may also be a strong indication of a problem that is about to arise.
Technically, locating the root of the issue as soon as possible can greatly assist you in saving money—on both repairs and replacements. This article examines the numerous causes of a car shaking when idle and accelerating and offers solutions to get your car up and running once more.
Causes of car shaking when idle and solution
Below are the possible reasons why your car shakes when idle and accelerating.
1. Engine mount issues
You wouldn’t notice much more engine vibration if your engine and frame were properly attached. Rubber engine mounts are semi-flexible and designed to dampen vibrations, but if they are old, cracked, or fractured, vibrations may pass through to the frame. Engine dampers, a little more sophisticated than rubber mounts, use air pressure or hydraulic fluid to lessen engine vibration. Additionally, when accelerating or downshifting, you could hear odd bumping or banging.
On some engines, active engine mounts, which are often vacuum-operated and controlled by the engine control module, go a step further in damping engine vibrations and movement (ECM). These include a few more intricate components, including vacuum switching valves, electrical and electronic controllers, vacuum lines, and hoses. Vibrations can be transmitted to the frame if the active mount is not operated correctly.
How to fix
Repair or replace damaged wiring, hoses, valves, engine mounts, or other components.
2. Idle speed issues
The majority of cars and trucks idle between 600 to 1,000 revolutions per minute (rpm), which is essentially fast enough to prevent the engine from stalling, smooth out power pulses from each cylinder, and operate the air conditioner and alternator.
The throttle body or a valve may be used to regulate idle speed, increasing it for heavy loads. The idle air control (IAC) valve may get clogged with carbon deposits, which will result in poor idle speed control.
Although current cars have replaced them with full electronic control of the throttle body, certain vehicles still employ idle-up valves in addition to electronic control of the IAC. If present, the idle-up switch, which is often installed on the power steering line, functions as a vacuum switching valve by opening a vacuum line to enhance idle speed.
Turning the steering wheel would overload the engine without “idling up” or raising rpm to make up for it, resulting in low idle speed and increased vibrations. If the valve is broken or the vacuum line is pinched or blocked.
How to fix
Clean the IAC and the throttle body, or replace both. Idle-up switch or vacuum lines should be cleaned, repaired, or replaced.
3. Carbon deposits
The engine cooling system and engine oil keep the inside of the cylinder, which can grow very hot, more or less under control, although carbon deposits can cause hotspots, dieseling, pinging, pinking, or detonation.
Hotspots may surpass the temperature at which gasoline normally burns from a spark, which results in premature ignition, excessive noise, and engine vibrations. In the worst situations, this may seriously harm the engine.
How to fix
Start by cleaning the upper end of the engine. Engine disassembly can be necessary for severe circumstances.
Ignition issues
The spark that ignites the combination of air and gasoline comes from one or two spark plugs within each cylinder. A spark plug can fire 500 million times throughout its lifetime, each time vaporizing a few electrode molecules and enlarging the spark plug gap.
The plugs may get fouled by oil blow-by, a rich condition, or too much gasoline. The plugs may not fire properly if the gap is too large or they are fouled, which would result in poor performance on one or more cylinders.
All ignition systems contain some kind of spark plug wire, whether it be extremely long, like on coil-on-plug (COP) systems, or very short, as on distributor and certain waste-spark systems. Heavy insulation is used on spark plug wires to prevent high voltage—more than 15,000 V—from “jumping to the ground” rather than the spark plug gap, but worn-out or damaged insulation may result in weak sparks or cylinder misfires, as well as a rough idle. This may be particularly apparent when it’s humid outside or when it’s raining.
How to fix
Replace the ignition coil, spark plug wires, or spark plugs as a solution. Also, fix any leaks of coolant or oil.
Causes of Car Shaking While Accelerating
If your car keeps shaking on acceleration, below are possible causes.
1. Improper tire balance
Unbalanced tires are a major contributor to unsteady acceleration, particularly if you recently bought the tires and they weren’t balanced or adjusted properly. Uneven tire wear, an imbalanced tire, a worn driveshaft bearing, malfunctioning brake components, etc., cause a car to shake while driving, especially over 60 mph.
Tires that are freshly put on a wheel often can’t have precise mass all around; the rotation of such tires may result in minute vibrations that cause your car to shake. The spin increases as you step on the accelerator, producing more audible vibrations.
2. Faulty alternator
The spark is produced by the car alternator, and if the spark plug misfires, the engine immediately shutters or shakes, which always causes the car to shake.
Consider a situation when the alternator stops producing enough energy to operate the car’s spark plug. In such a situation, the car may begin to shake and may even stop working while you’re driving or have trouble starting.
3. Faulty CV joints
If your CV joints are damaged, you can also shake while you drive. The inner and outer CV joints, which are normally near the end of the axle points, might cause your car to shake, particularly when you accelerate quickly.
The vibration may become more visible and surely worse as the load on the vehicle increases. Sometimes insufficient or absent lubrication and severe friction cause CV joints to get injured.
4. Bad brakes
Rotor wear and tear is often quite severe. Without a question, brakes play a significant role in how well cars work. Your car will begin to shake when they fail or become somewhat faulty, with the impacts becoming worse as you go faster.
When you bring such a car to a halt, the overheating that results cause the brake rotors to get damaged. The discs eventually shatter as a consequence of the warping caused by the heating effect created in such an occurrence.
Usually, the discs are flat all around. When it is not, the brake pads and caliper compress and distort. When you use the brakes, your car vibrates mostly as a result of the unevenness that results. When you see such situations, don’t be afraid to go to your car mechanic.
5. Axle problems
Axle issues are another cause of your car shaking as you accelerate. Unquestionably, spinning pieces make up cars, and each one functions best when kept within certain tolerances and constraints. Any issues with any of these components might be a factor in the vibration your car feels as you accelerate.
Axles are quite prone to bending, which is undesirable, particularly during crashes of any size. When you press the accelerator, the bending of the axles will cause your car to vibrate; the more you press the accelerator, the more intense the vibration is.
6. Wheel problems
Older cars are particularly prone to this. Older models of the same type are somewhat different, with the former being better than the latter. Newer cars often feature steering wheels that are more responsive and swifter. This is typical for cars. However, only cars of the same model may be used in this comparison.
In essence, the functionality of automotive steering wheels is equally susceptible to wear and strain. If your steering wheel is less sensitive and rapid, your car may shake when you’re driving.
However, due to its slow deterioration, it could be difficult to spot a bad steering wheel. Therefore, while determining if their steering wheel is to blame for their car shaking when accelerating, drivers must be purposeful.
7. Cracked radiator fan
If your radiator fan is cracked or damaged, your car can also shake while you’re driving. But anytime you are going fast, you usually notice this.
But each time you turn the ignition on in your car, you’ll see that the fan tries to start but fails because it’s broken or damaged. Instead, the car shakes sideways as you increase your acceleration due to the radiator’s wobbling impact.
8. Ruptured vacuum hose
Depending on the severity, car vacuum hoses might get damaged or detached, which can cause your car to shake or shutter. Backfires, misfires, power loss, and even car vibration are brought on by inadequate or insufficient air pressure, which is the consequence of leaky or disconnected vacuum hoses. Car engines may occasionally fail due to disconnected vacuum tubes.
Additional Reasons for Car Vibration When Accelerating:
Your car shakes every time you speed for several possible causes. In addition to the primary factors mentioned above, the following causes of car vibration while driving are also present:
- Loose lug nut; worn-out or soiled spark plugs; broken motor mount and
- Bent or stuck driveshaft
Fix for Car Shakes When Accelerating
After determining the cause of your car’s shaking when accelerating, the best course of action is to use practical solutions to the problem. Here are a few fixes for accelerating car shaking:
Unbalanced tires
To balance your wheels, use a jack, a wrench, and a flat-head screwdriver. To guarantee professionalism, you may need to see a qualified technician. Before cleaning the wheels, first, remove the wheel weight.
Before reinstalling the weights, balance the wheels using the indicated locations. To confirm changes, double-check.
Bad alternator
Replace the alternator with a new one if the spark plug in the car cannot be powered by the alternator.
No matter what problem is causing your car to tremble while driving, make sure you let specialists assist you in handling the repair procedure to assure the success of such repairs.
CV joint damage
When you find that your CV joints are broken, first remove the driveshaft and do a visual inspection to determine the amount of grease in the joints. In the end, replacing both the inner and outer CV joints is necessary to ensure proper CV Joint performance.
Bad brakes
When you find that the brake rotors on your car are damaged, be sure to replace them with new ones and make sure the disc is flat throughout.
Axle problems
Always check to make sure your axle has not been bent by a big or small accident. Make sure the axle is straightened as quickly as feasible for their autos if you detect that it is bent.
Steering wheel problems
As soon as you realize that your steering wheel is what’s causing your car to shake, you should take it to a repair shop to get it fixed so that it can resume regular operation.
Radiator fan with a crack
You must replace your damaged radiator fan as soon as you become aware of it. If you didn’t repair it right away, it can harm the top gasket of the car and the engine.
Torn vacuum hose
If the vacuum hose in your vehicle leaks, you should replace it; if it disconnects, all you need to do is take your car to a technician to have it reconnected.
Final words
Knowing the causes of car shaking when idle and accelerating can help you know where to start when looking for solutions.
Simply use the tips in this article to figure out what’s causing your car to shake while idle and when accelerating and how to fix it. To protect the efficiency of your car engine, you should maintain a proactive maintenance schedule.
Bernard is the lead driver and force behind his Big Dog Garage Race Team. He is the General Manager and Chief Mechanic of Jay Leno’s Garage. Bernard and his crew of seven are responsible for all repairs, restoration and fabrication of Jay’s incredible automobile and motorcycle collection.
- 10 Common Mistakes When Bleeding Brakes - September 12, 2023
- Dash Cam That Records When Car is Off [5 Best] - September 11, 2023
- How to Know if Dash Cam is Recording [10 Methods] - September 8, 2023
